Jericho began in 1997 with a missionary named Betsy Hake (originally from Wisconsin). She had been working with a missionary organization in Honduras when she felt a call to reach out to the women trapped in prostitution. As these women came to put their faith in Jesus, Betsy and others taught them skills so that they could find jobs to support their families.
Since then the ministry has grown immensly. The staff of Jericho still spend time out on the streets witnessing to women and telling them how they can radically change their lives by trusting in Jesus Christ. Jericho also runs a school in Tegucigalpa (K-12) for at-risk or low-income students. Here the students learn basic curriculum, have English classes, and learn of Christ's love for them.
In February 2008 another Jericho dream was realized when a group of Jericho staff women moved into the Villa up in the mountains. The Villa is 1 1/2 hours from the capital city and serves as a place that women can go for a year to get away from the temptations of the city. It includes apartments for the women and their children, a big house with rooms for teaching and a ton of land for future projects.
When I was out at the Villa, there were no women, rather 11 kids whose parents had either died or who were not able to care for them. These precious children are being raised at the Villa under the care of three wonderful Jericho staff.
But Jericho is not done growing yet. The next dream is to buy a house in Tegucigalpa called the House of Jewels. This house will be for adolescent girls who need to be in a loving household and Christian environment.
It has been such a blessing to work with this ministry the past two summers and I am overjoyed that the Lord has called me back to Jericho for the next few years of my life.
A picture of some of the kids at Jericho school.
Out for a hike with the kids from the Villa. (You can see the Villa in the background)
An outside look of the Villa
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